O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

Nick says it looks like "Martha threw up Christmas in our house." That is Martha Stewart he is talking about, of course. And, I love Martha, so normally having anything I did be compared to Martha would be an honor, but I am not so sure here. Christmas is not really something Nick enjoys. However, he says that my sincere love of it helps redeem it and let him enjoy it some.

And, in case you haven't gotten it yet, I LOVE Christmas. Therefore, I try to make sure our house looks like it, starting with the tree. My dear Grams (yes, her again) and my Grandpa used to have a tradition with a couple of friends of theirs of going up North for a weekend and finding trees to cut down and put in their homes. After a while, it became a contest to see who could find the largest and then fit the largest into their house. I have many a picture of my Grams' house and their large Christmas trees. Mine may not be real (can't have real in our condo), and it may not be that large, but I still cherish it and all that it reminds me of.

I love the holidays! And, an ode to Grams

WOW (again)! 2 posts in one day is absolutely a new record. But, I can't help myself today. I picked up the Betty Crocker Christmas Cookbook yesterday; as I was waiting for the bus home, I saw the news vans go past on their way to the tree lighting ceremony downtown; I came home to a table full of Christmas party invites (above), which I proceeded to work on; Nick started work on some apple butter; and all the while we listened to Christmas music - the first time this season. I think I may be in heaven!

I love the holidays, but what would make this day (or season) even better, of course, is having my dear sweet Grams with us still. Ruth went peacefully, though somewhat unexpectedly, on Thursday, November 5, 2010. She was dearly loved by me and by anyone who knew her. So, this holiday season, when we are missing her, I have taken it upon myself to do what Grams knew how to do best - celebrate! I am going to do all I can to make this the best season I and my loved ones can have, in honor of her.

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My Grams was good at having parties, making the holidays very festive and wonderful, cooking and baking, especially Christmas cookies, and spreading love and joy. I think I can do a lot of that this year with the help of this amazing book! It is chock full of appetizer, main dish, breakfast dish, bread and dessert recipes that all look and sound great. I can't wait to make some of them and share them, like my Grams would've done!

My Grams was all about a good cocktail (especially Brandy Manhattans), and her and my Grandpa had a cocktail hour ritual every day, which she continued occasionally after his death, and now Nick and I continue this tradition occasionally as well. Since it is winter, and hot drinks are a must, it is time for hot buttered rum; maybe not for cocktail hour, but at night when I need a cozy drink. Nick made me this mix (brown sugar, a lot of butter and some spices - he can't remember the recipe or where he found it), which I think my Grams would've liked, and I happily drink it out my favorite mug.

Like I said, my Grams liked to cook. She would always have meals she made and packed up for my Dad and I to take home after visits, or to take over to neighbors who couldn't cook or were less fortunate. She also threw many a dinner party in her and my Grandpa's socialite days. My Grandpa was the vice-president of Fox Valley Savings and Loan in Fond du Lac, and was the head of the library board, among other things. They met many important people, having lunch with senators (JFK) and rubbing elbows with movies stars (Judy Garland). But, my Grams was never one to brag, and she was never one to be pretentious, even in cooking for fancy people. One her best recipes is far from pretentious - Appetizer Pie.

Sorry, but you get a picture of the aftermath (I made it this weekend for my in-laws), because it is just that good. It is a simple recipe of a pack of softened cream cheese, a small container of sour cream, a little bit of milk, 1 package of chipped beef chopped up, some dried onion and some garlic mixed together and spread into a baking dish which is then covered in chopped walnuts and baked until warm all the way through (about 20 minutes on 350 degrees). A classic 1950s dish! She made this recipe so many times she became known for it, and she passed it down to me. I bring this recipe out every holiday season and whenever I need a good appetizer dish. It seems to be a crowd pleaser and a comfort food, and so it continues to be a tradition.

And, Nick looks to be starting a new tradition for us this year - canning. Our house has seen so much produce lately, it would surprise anyone who doesn't know the joys of canning. I didn't realize, but you can easily do some amazing things with a little know how, some jars and some good produce. I love that I married a man that I can not only share my love of food, baking and cooking with, but that surprises me with his. Grams would be proud!

Look at this pot of bubbling apples! You can tell what is in season right now in this house. We have had fresh applesauce for weeks now, apple brandy started fermenting last week, and apple butter is being made as we speak (hence, the boiling apples).

This isn't my usual kind of post, but I wanted to share a little bit about myself with you all. Happy holidays to you, and to my beloved Grams as well. I hope this season, and every one to come is a wonderful holiday season. You'll be hearing from me again soon...or maybe even getting some of my holiday cheer!

Chicken Thighs (or Apple Dumplings)

WOW! I started this post almost 2 months ago and never finished it! I think (ashamedly) that may be a new record.

So, this was a recipe from my favorite food blog, The Pioneer Woman, called Apple Dumplings. As is the case most often, I needed a recipe for dessert one night we had some friends over. I wanted to make something delicious and something they had not yet seen me make. Well, Ree has quickly become my go to lady for just those kinds of recipes.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures while I was making these, and even until they were half gone. But, trust me the weird sounding mountain dew, crescent rolls, and tons of sugar concoction's end result is something worth trying.


The reason I refer to chicken thighs in the title of this post is because Nick kept saying that they looked and were shaped like chicken thighs. And, when asking for leftovers, he repeatedly asked for "some more of those chicken thighs." That Nick! However, I do have to admit that he is kind of right. :)

That is all I am going to say about this recipe, because let's face it, Ree can say it better than me any day. Be sure to check out her blog too!

Bourbon Spice Cake

I found the recipe for this cake last weekend, when searching for baked goods with bourbon in them. Nick and I do love our bourbon, and I recently made chocolate chip cookies with bourbon in them, so I thought I would try some other things. Also, I needed a recipe that used a lot of eggs, since we are not able to keep up with our CSA's supply of eggs to us.

The cake turned out very well, if you are expecting something that tastes like spice bread when you bite into it. That might be because I decided not to frost it (to work with and enhance the spice bread feeling), or it might be because it has a lot of spices in it, and is a denser consistency than a lot of cakes. Whatever the case, it looks lovely and tastes lovely.

You know that I am a big fan working with what I have in my kitchen if I can, and I didn't have any dates, so I used dried apricots. And, I was able to use up 4 eggs in just one recipe!

As seems to be the case in most recipes I find, you mix the wet ingredients, and the dry, separately and then combine them.

The batter was a little soupy, and there was a ton of it!

The cake rose so much that it was over the top edge of the pan. I had to cut off the bottom, rounded layer (I did about a 1/2 inch, but could've done more), so I could invert it onto a plate evenly. That's OK though, because it meant we got to eat cake right away!

And, voila! Doesn't that look nice? I think the only thing I would've done differently, was frost it. Like I said, I decided to work with the bread like taste and texture, and eat it as such, but a nice cream cheese frosting might've made a big difference. I just never got around to making one before it was eaten.

Redefinition

When I started this blog, it was to give myself a hobby and a release of sorts - an outlet for stress and emotion, since I was going through rough times. For the first few months, it really served its purpose. I had something fun, relaxing and new to turn to when all I wanted to do was sit on the couch. A funny thing happened though; I started to live up to my blog's name and became truly passionate about baking. I learned it is not scary or intimidating, and not as tedious and strict as people make it out to be. I learned new techniques, I learned how dough (in many instances) should look and feel, and I learned that I not only like the products I produce, I like the feeling of well being that comes over me while baking. I also like the joy myself and others get from eating my baked goods. Baking is not just therapy or a crutch anymore, it is something I truly enjoy. Perhaps, though, in that way it is therapy, just as good time with loved ones is a sort of therapy.

From this passion for baking grew a passion for cooking as well. Whereas Nick used to do all of the cooking in our house, I've started doing some, and have been excited about doing it. I have found myself getting excited about planning meals, and liking preparing them. I enjoy reading through blogs or recipe books and indexes to find the next dinner or dessert recipe, and enjoy making up my own. How many of you can say you are passionate about baking and cooking? I am glad I can! I am finally starting to find things that I really am passionate about, and I am realizing that I need to do those things to find more joy in life, because it is not going to come to me unless I bring it.

One thing I am not so passionate about, however, is blogging. I like the idea of chronicling my baking adventures, but sometimes I feel like the blogging is a chore. I feel like if I don't post about something within a week, it will be old news. I worry I am not going to be funny or fun to read. I feel like I should not just tell about my adventures, but make them so everyone can't wait to read them. And, I feel like I should have more readers than the few friends of mine who read it because I bug them too. For those reasons, I haven't blogged as much lately as I could have, though I have been baking and cooking. Weeks ago, we tried our hand at chicken mole enchiladas, I made a Cajun meatloaf 2 weeks ago, peach 4 grain pancakes last Saturday, a Bourbon spice cake on Sunday, etc. And, over Labor Day weekend Nick and I learned how to can (we made red onion relish, dilly beans, pickled jalapenos and peach jam)! However, I failed to post anything about any of it.

This blog is not supposed to be for recognition or fame, it is supposed to be about the baking; at first, as a therapy tool - to keep me "checking in", and now to chronicle and share recipes that I've enjoyed. So, I am going to make this promise to you, and more importantly, to myself: I will continue baking (and cooking) - learning about it and having fun with it, and I will blog just to post and share, not for any other reason. Therefore, I think it will be more enjoyable for all.

As always, thanks for reading!

Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes

A couple weekends ago Nick and I went to visit our friends Dana (a loyal reader and commenter on here) and her husband Jake (who I hope will become a loyal reader after this post ;) ) Dana and Jake used to live in Milwaukee, only a short distance from our house. However, now they live in Gurnee, IL - not such a short distance. So, we decided a longer, weekend, visit was in order. What better way to spend part of a weekend than baking?

Dana, who doesn't bake too much, was not only up for the challenge of donning her apron and getting dirty, but for writing the blog about it (yay!). So, I will now turn the floor over to her (love her cute apron!)...

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I recently had the pleasure of spending the weekend with a good friend and baking coach! What more could a girl asked for? Too bad Sheri had no idea what she had gotten herself into.

Although I like to bake; my baking skills are lacking. If my baking turns out, it is because I followed a good recipe to the T. So, my goal in having a baking coach around was: learn something new, and something that might help improve my baking from a box skills! (I know baking for a box is not really baking, but sometimes it is necessary.)

I suggested we swap some recipes before the weekend. Before blinking, Sheri flooded my inbox with loads of recipes she had been thinking about. After reviewing the e-mails, I identified what I thought was an ambitious recipe. I could feel the excitement penetrating through my fingers as I responded to the slough of e-mails and thought, “THIS IS THE ONE!” I chose Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes. I knew as soon as I saw it that it was the one I wanted to make; everyone loves caramel (even my husband who dislikes sweets) and yummy, chocolate, and they seemed just right for an indulgent weekend with friends. Let the baking begin…

The recipe can be found here, for those of you who like to follow along: http://ibakecupcakes-sarahlyn.blogspot.com/2010/07/chocolate-salted-caramel-cupcakes-save.html)

Step 1 – Put on your adorable apron. Sheri had asked me if there was anything she needed to bring for the weekend. The only suggestion I had was an “adorable apron”, for which she complied.

Step 2 – Get out ALL ingredients. I like to do this so I am not opening cabinets with sticky fingers, which would add one more thing to the cleanup list.

Step 3 – Start baking!

Sheri and I worked really well as a team – adding the dry ingredients to the KitchenAid® mixing bowl before whisking them up. (I learned that standing mixers are not preferred for those who like to “feel” the mixing (i.e., Sheri). For you “feelers” out there, use a hand mixer.)

In my excitement, I immediately added the wet ingredients to the dry ones. Opps number one! The recipe calls for mixing the wet ingredients together in one bowl, the dry in another, then adding the wet to the dry. Well, since the ingredients all went into the same bowl at once, this recipe was an experiment – Do you have to premix the wet ingredients before adding to the dry?

About half way through the mixing of the ingredients, I walked away from the mixer. Opps number two! I quickly learned from Sheri that this is a very bad no-no. Walking away from a standing mixer, that is mixing, can cause over mixing. Over mixing can make the batter more dense and doughy. Who knew? (Apparently Sheri.) This is also why a hand mixer may be better. You will never accidently walk away from a hand mixer while it is running. (If this does happen to you, I suggest you turn off the hand mixer, put away the wine, sober up, and then return to baking.)

After completely mixing the ingredients, the batter seemed runny. I was worried, but Sheri was not. I thought it was a bit too thin, and had Sheri not been there, I would have added more flour. Turned out Sheri was right to leave them be, as the cupcakes baked nicely, though they didn’t rise much. That might have had something to do with oops number two, but we cannot be sure. There must be some reason the wet is mixed before adding to the dry; however, that reason was not discovered with these little cakes.

After the cupcakes cooled, I cut out the centers. Sheri suggested making cones by sticking a knife in at one point and rotating it in a circular motion (and if you have to hand frost the cupcake, cut off the bottom of the cone off, fill the cupcake and replace the top to plug the hole on the cupcake).

Next came the caramel filling and salt sprinkle. Spooning in the caramel filling was easy with it warmed up a bit (we did not make the caramel sauce ourselves, but used store bought). The recipe called for sea salt, but I only had Kosher, and it worked just fine.

Then, Sheri made the butter cream frosting. She did a great job! My ability to get distracted while cooking took hold here and Sheri had the whip up the frosting on her own (Sorry Sheri. This was a baking lesson and since we were not baking the frosting...). All I know is that there was a lot of powdered sugar, butter, milk and cocoa powder. All good things! If we are lucky, Sheri will share her butter cream frosting recipe with us! The consistency of the frosting was marvelous. Sheri used the hand mixer (of course) for this part.

Since I failed to tell Sheri to bring her pastry bags and tips, she suggested using a zip lock bag and cutting off one corner. Again, her idea worked perfectly, making frosting a piece of cake!

TASTE TEST TIME! This is by far my favorite part of baking! Sheri and I both agreed that the little caramel filled chocolate cakes with chocolate butter cream frosting were divine. Sheri did not think the salt would do much, and thought it might be gross, but we were both wrong. Do not leave off the salt! It really adds to the flavor of the caramel and chocolate.

In summary, I learned the following lessons:
1) Mix wet ingredients before mixing with dry, unless you have an expert baker with you.
2) Most importantly DO NOT OVER MIX after you add in the wet ingredients!
3) When making cupcakes filled with something, save the tops of the removed cone to re-plug the filling hole.

Thanks Sheri – I had a great time baking with you!

(KitchenAid is a registered trademark owned by KitchenAid.)

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Strawberry Lemon Cream Tart

This summer has been so hot and humid I have not felt like cooking, let alone baking. For those of you who live in Milwaukee, you can commiserate. However, when a friend asked me to bring dessert to a dinner last week, how could I say no? So, I decided to try to find a no-bake, or close to no-bake dessert.

Last Wednesday (7/14/10), the day of our dinner date, I was reading the Milwaukee Journal Food Section and suddenly remembered that I had a commitment to bring a dessert. Luckily, on the back of the food section I noticed a blurb about a Strawberry Cream Cheese Tart that sounded like just what I needed - fast and easy since I was going to have to make it after work. It also involved hardly any oven time, which is what I needed for this weather and my no air conditioning, poorly ventilated/windowed condo. So, I copied down the basics of the recipe and planned to change/make additions to what I was feeling, which I often like to do.

I bought a pre-made crust (shh! I was in hurry, remember?), pressed it into my tart pan, trimmed the edges off and cooked it on 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

While the crust cooled, I mixed the cream cheese (1 8oz. container, room temperature), a couple teaspoons lemon juice and a couple teaspoons of my homemade vanilla (which I made this time with Mount Gay silver rum and Mexican vanilla beans - yum!). The original recipe called for orange juice, but I used lemon because of my plans for the next step.

Note: if you have a really warm house, and you are in a hurry, do not try to cool the crust in the pan or even in the kitchen. I took it out of the pan and put it in the living room by the patio door so it could catch the breeze and cool faster. I always wondered why you see pies in window sills in old shows and movies - I guess that is why!

Next, I spread the cream cheese mixture and some lemon curd into the crust. The original recipe suggested spreading the jam out, or pouring it inbetween the berries after assembling the tart, but I thought the lemon curd sounded good, and I needed to use it up.

I then arranged berries (strawberries and raspberries) on top of the lemon curd. The recipe called for 4 cups of berries, but I don't think I used that many. After assembling, I chilled the assembled tart for 2 hours before serving (per recipe instruction).

Doesn't that look lovely?! This turned out being a wonderful, refreshing dessert - perfect for a warm night. And, it only took 30 minutes total to make. Can't get much easier than that!